The most widely recognized rule in improv is "yes and": it's the foundational idea that when you are creating a scene, you have to say yes to every variable in the scene in order to keep the scene going. If you walk into a room, and someone says "Oh my gosh! Are you Jou Le?! The world famous 80 year old sumo wrestler" - you say yes and for the rest of the scene you have to commit to acting like and saying things that a decrepit, large asian man would.

We are starting day three of our journey in China, and I feel like I've been living in a long drawn out improv practice.

Killian models the most awkwardly designed chair in the Detroit airport.

This leg of the journey has just been me and my teammate Killian. We have already found ourselves confronted by a lot of unforeseen variables that we have excitedly said yes to and happily gone along with. We have almost missed a flight, have gotten lost several times, we have tried a mystery meat, we have haphazardly ridden a bullet train and the subway system, wandered the streets of Xi'an, and we have said yes to taking pictures with strangers who will stop us randomly (current photo count is 7).

Fortunately, in almost all of these situations we have been able to make a new friend/guardian angel. When I was trying to use my charade skills to ask officials how to print a boarding ticket for the train (to no avail), Killian made friends with Sosa who helped us print our ticket and get to the right station.

Killian and I with our first guardian angel: Sosa

When we were on the train, God sought us fit to make a new friend names Jao Wu Chin who told me a lot of the ins and outs of navigating Xi'an.

a drawing I made of Jao while we rode the train from Beijing to Xi'an.

We have one more day before the camp starts and will be making the most of it. We are thankful for this time to become acquainted with new traditions and a lot of delicious new foods, but we can not wait to meet the children we will be loving and working with.

We would love it if you would join us in praying for the hearts and minds of the children that are looking for a home, and the parents that are looking for a child to love. I hope that I will be able to continue to publish posts about our trip, but excuse any tardiness that comes: finding internet accessibility and the time to write has become difficult.

To conclude, enjoy this gallery of photos I've taken on my iphone along the way.

In the summer of 1974, Steven Spielberg sought to break cinematic ground by taking a camera, a crew, and a mechanical shark out to sea to shoot a film -something that had never been done before. He had the budget and the engineering team to make the film happen, but after many malfunctions with the shark, Spielberg began to sit in the reality that things weren’t going as he had planned.

As my trip draws near, the question I keep getting asked is “are you ready”, and I am quick to respond with my “as ready as I can be!”. The more I’m asked this though, the more I’ve thought about how I really have no idea if I am. I’ve done everything I need to in order to get to China, but at the end of the day, I am going to a land whose culture, history, and language I know next to nothing of. In a lot of ways I am Spielberg planning to make “Jaws”.

I’ve have come with a plan of action and gathered the materials I need, but I know that the most important resource is a willingness to adapt my plan when elements change. When Spielberg was faced with his star actor out of commission, he had the brilliant revelation that the most frightening demon is the one not seen. Most of the iconic scenes from the film were shot without the shark, and were produced as an alternative to his original vision.

I’m by no means hoping that everything goes awry on this trip, but I am trying my best to have an open-handed approach to planning. I know that creativity flourishes in restricted environments, and my life is a living testament to the truth that God’s plan is far greater than my own. I am looking forward to both the expected and unexpected on this trip, and my prayer that is that in both situations, I’ll continue to recognize God’s glory and promises.

As my team and I continue to get “ready” for our trip in 8 days, please pray for us and encourage us to view ready as coming with a plan and a willingness to adapt that plan when elements change.

As a kid, I spent hours of my childhood playing in the dirt with my friends. We’d dig holes as deep as we could and fantasize about what it would be like to dig so far we reached the other side: what it would be like to dig all the way to China. Our spoons couldn’t carry quite as much dirt as we’d want, we’d feel 20 feet deep when we had barely scratched the surface, and we had no idea what to expect if we were to reach the other side.

Now I’m 24 and I play in the dirt a little less, but I’ve found myself once again trying to dig to China. In October, I applied and was accepted to be a part of a team going to China on January 19th. On this trip, each member of the team would be partnered with an orphan and a translator, and would be charged with telling that child’s story through a visual medium (photo, video). The trip was going to last 2 weeks, we would be spending most of our time in Xi’an, China, and it was going to cost roughly 3000.

I had found myself sitting in the dirt with a spoon, a fear of not making it to China, and an uncertainty of what I’d find if I did get there. And just like when I was young, my fear and doubt quickly escaped me once I found myself surrounded by loving friends all holding spoons too.

Through the encouragement from friends and family members, I’ve been able to fearlessly press forward in preparation for this trip. And thanks to the generous support of many, I have raised more than half of the money needed to fund my trip. Now with the destination getting close, I’m trying to prepare for my arrival.

I have gotten the shots I need, organized transportation and lodging for my stay, all my travel documents are in order, I’ve cleaned my video gear, and planned out how to pack everything I need. I am prepared, and now I have two weeks to get ready. I don’t know what to expect once I arrive in China, but I have unwavering confidence in God’s sovereignty and plan.

I intend to publish a post at least once a week on my preparation for the trip, my experience in China, and the aftermath of the trip. I would love for you to stay up to date on what God is doing in and through us. All prayer and encouragement for both me and the rest of the team is graciously welcomed.